So You Think You Can Dance - Top 4

Posted: Thursday, August 07, 2008 by Travis Cody in
18

Reminder: I live on the west coast and most of you will know the result before the show comes on out here. Please keep that in mind and hold off commenting here until I have a chance to watch.

Thanks!





Well gang, we've reached the end.

Judges for the final performances are Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Mandy Moore.

The kids were busy last night with solos, a group routine, the boys together, the girls together, Katee with Johsua and Courtney with Twitch, and Katee with Twitch and Courtney with Joshua.

It's everybody with everybody!

Yikes! Let's get started.

Courtney and Twitch dance hip hop by Tabitha & Napoleon. We weren't wild about the wardrobe, but the tricks were amazing! Twitch threw Courtney up on his head and spun her...with no hands at one point and it was way cool. They had the characters and told the story. Strong, raw performance of terrific choreography. Say 9 for Courtney and 9 for Twitch.

Courtney talks to Cat about growing up in New York. She may be the most improved of the final four. She says her favorite routine was the jazz by Sonya from last week, and says she has surpassed any of her expectations on the show. And she follows that up with a beautiful solo, showing us the joy she has in her movement. She spent the entire season growing on us every week.

Katee and Joshua dance lyrical by Wade Robson. YAY! We missed Wade's choreography this season. That was amazing. That was dance as story. The choreography pulled you onto the stage and the emotion they brought to the piece kept you there. Wonderful performance. Mandy pointed out some technical flaws, but we were so enraptured by the performance that we didn't notice. Say 9 for Katee and 9 for Joshua.

Katee and Courtney dance Broadway by Tyce Diorio. That was a lot of fun. And you can see the contrast between the two. Katee is the more polished dancer, and Courtney is all raw fun and frolic. They were cute and controlled, and they made it look effortless. Say 10 for Katee and 9 for Courtney.

Twitch sits down with Cat and explains that he got his nickname because he used to dance everywhere, but couldn't always go full out...so he twitched. He was going to go into the Navy, but decided to give dancing another run. He says his favorite routine was the Viennese Waltz because of the meaning behind it. He says he dances everything with passion to give back to the artform because of what it has given to him. He is brilliant at what he does, but the thing that draws me to him is his personality and his ability to entertain.

Twitch and Joshua dance a Russian style. Now this is interesting. Evidently these two worked so hard that they collapsed during rehearsal and ended up in the hospital to rehydrate. That was a couple of free style hip hoppers working those classical leaps and jumps. Twitch was amazing with the floor work, and Joshua was incredible in the air. That choreography was so difficult. Say 9 for Twitch and 10 for Joshua.

Katee sits down with Cat. I'll remind you that Katee was one of the last two girls chosen for the top 20, and she said that she wouldn't try a third time if she didn't make it this time. And the judges had to discuss it before putting her through. I'm so glad they put her through, because she just might be the best female dancer in the history of the show. She says her favorite routine was the first hip hop routine with Joshua. She can dance anything. If you ranked the top moments from this season, she's in at least five of them. She demonstrates her technical excellence and athleticism in her solo. If Twitch hadn't made it through, I'd be voting for her.

Katee and Twitch dance Foxtrot by Tony Meredith and Melanie Lepatin. I'm not saying anything about technique for Twitch. We know he's not trained to do that. But I will say that his performance was elegant and gentlemanly, and he conveyed a strong male romantic lead in the piece. Katee was fantastic as expected. I'll say it again...she can dance anything. And the lift was incredible. The pair of them together was a joy to watch. Say 10 for Katee and 9 for Twitch.

Joshua tells Cat he had to choose between athletics and dance, and he decided to give up football and track to focus on dancing. He says the Samba with Katee is his favorite because it was outside of his comfort zone, and he did it so well. Joshua was the most surprising of all the guys for me, because I didn't expect him to be so good in so many different styles. He's so amazing with hip hop, but he shines in every other style he's been asked to dance. And he has grown as an entertainer. His solo shows that growth. And he has proven to any other dancer that whether you've had training or not, if you are a dancer...you dance.

Courtney and Joshua dance jive by Jason Gilkinson. Hated Courtney's wardrobe. That wasn't typical jive choreography...it took jive and amped it up. It was missing a lot of the flip kicks. But dang! It was fast and wild and crazy, and they pulled off some great tricks. It wasn't clean and you could tell how exhausted they were. It wasn't great and the best I can say is that they got through it. Say 8 for Courtney and 8 for Joshua.

Mia Michaels choreographed the final group routine for the Top 4. Wow. That was so physically demanding. Those kids must be emotionally and physically exhausted. I don't know where they pulled the energy to finish with such an athletic number, but they did. They are such uniquely talented performers, and yet they were able to come together as a unit and give us something wonderful to remember.

An outstanding season capped off by an outstanding final performance show.

Pam chose to vote for Katee, and I voted for Twitch. But I'll be happy with any result tonight.

And remember...I'm on the west coast so don't spoil it for me!

18 comments:

  1. Julie says:

    Great review dear! Sorry I haven't been around much but it's been a great season on DANCE! My votes went to Joshua but I like all these kids as dancers and also as young people with determination to further their craft.

    Go kids!

  1. Marsha says:

    It's all said and done now...the winner depends on whether the 'best' dancer was choosen or the one that is the best 'entertainer' or the most 'athletic' or the most 'improved'. No matter which, they were all great!

    The show was great and it looked like everyone gave it their all!

    And the winner is............

  1. DrillerAA says:

    I would love to see Twitch take home the title but I think Joshua is the fan favorite. The Boy can get some air!!!
    Like Nigel, I could watch Twitch do hip hop for hours. He will soon be able to afford all of the training he needs.
    I was not crazy about the costumes for the girls Broadway number nor
    Courtney's jive outfit.
    I cannot imagine how hard these kids worked all season and especially this week. They have been a joy to watch. Tonight will be incredible.

  1. BRILLIANT SHOW...

    The Russian dance with Twitch and Joshua was amazing and showed the strength and talent of these two young men. I voted Twitch...phone lines were very busy.

  1. Anonymous says:

    Happy Thursday!

  1. I stuck with my boy Joshua just for that in your face here I am solo =)

  1. Akelamalu says:

    It's great when your favourites get to the final. Whoever wins I just know you'll enjoy the show. :)

  1. Sandee says:

    I won't spoil it for you Travis. I don't have a television so I can't spoil it. Have fun honey. Big hug. :)

  1. Patti says:

    Don't worry, not commenting on the show because I don't watch. But I did KIK at your Manic Monday post for Big, featuring the adorable Mr. Tucker.

    I've developed quite a soft spot for kitties. =^.^=

  1. Anndi says:

    As much as love Twitch and that infectious smile of his... overall my fav is Katee. Chicklet would have voted for Twitch, but then she's a faithful fan and chose him during the auditions... she did that with Taylor, so you never know... ;)

  1. I watched last night.
    They all deserve to win. Thanks for reminding me about tonight! I almost made other plans. What was I thinking??!

  1. Julie: It has been a great season. I'm ok with anyone of these kids as the winner.

    Marsha: Yup...they've done all they can do and now we'll see who the voters chose.

    Drilleraa: I suspect you may be right about Joshua. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Katee sneak in there and win it. She has never been in the bottom

    V: That dance was incredible.

    Lois: Right back atcha!

    Starr: That solo was great!

    Akelamalu: Agreed.

    Sandee: Hugs to you too!

    Patti: He's a sweet big guy!

    Ann: I really could have voted for any of them. In terms of favorite for me they go Twitch, Katee, Joshua, Courtney.

    Mimi: Good for you! They do all deserve to win, and I think they have.

  1. Kimmie says:

    Last nights performances gave me goosebumps over and over and I found myself amazed at every dance. My vote was for Twitch and then Courtney. I love Katee also, but there is just something about Courtney that touches my heart.

    I was in complete amazement at how high Joshua can jump! LOL!

    They are all very talented, they are all winners to me, now I have to go watch.

    Hugs,
    Kimmie

  1. Trav, Kimmie goave you an award.Congrats. her new site is http://prettyamazinggrace-kimmie.blogspot.com. sop you migh as well go trucking over and pick up your award!

  1. TopChamp says:

    Do you know the result yet? I think I do - from linking to the youtube clips.

    By the way - the linking works for me just as well as posting the vids.

  1. TopChamp says:

    just watched the group dance. That's amazing - for a moment I wondered whether they'd nicked my wardrobe for it.... that's genuinely how we all dress here in Glasgow.

    Can't believe how well they dance - made me feel all teary eyed. I don't normally see any interviews, but they all came across as nice people.

  1. Kimmie: Joshua is definitely a worthy champion.

    Mike: I did check that out. Thanks for the reminder!

    TC: You mean you actually enjoyed the dancing and weren't bothered by the music? That's great!

  1. Anonymous says:

    What a great season! I was so happy with the winner but I'm sure that the top 4 will all go on to do great things! :)